PNP opens counselling hotlines for cops

MANILA – The Philippine National Police (PNP), in cooperation with its Chaplain Service and other religious leaders, launched the e-GABAY program on Monday to respond to the psychospiritual needs of its members.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said the e-Gabay platform will be manned by values life coaches and PNP staff.

Posters with the platform’s mobile numbers will be posted in all quarantine facilities, PNP offices, and police stations nationwide to encourage members needing counseling to seek help or strike a conversation.

“Aside from enhancing equipage, training, shelter and salary increase, part of our morale, and welfare enhancement is to uplift the spiritual and morale capability of our personnel and their dependents,” Eleazar said.

Eleazar signed the memorandum of understanding of the “Ugnayan ng Simbahan at Pulisya” (USAP, or the church-police collaboration) at Camp Crame with the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, Imam Council of the Philippines, National Council of Churches in the Philippines, and Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches.

The PNP Health Service is also finalizing the recommendations in the Psychiatric-Psychological Exam (PPE), following Friday’s incident at the Manila Police District (MPD) headquarters when a drunk cop ran amuck, killed one of his colleagues, and injured another before eventually succumbing to gunshot wounds.

Eleazar said the MPD and PNP Internal Affairs Service (IAS) are already looking into the shootout instigated by Master Sgt. Reynante Dipasupil.

“While it is true na sa lahat ng pagkakataon, kahit ano man reason ‘yan, dapat hindi ka naman dapat mag-amok pero we will have to find out bakit nagkaroon, umabot sa ganun ‘yung kanyang mental state or fitness. That is why going back to that question, ‘yun ang ating aalamin. Part of the investigation being conducted by MPD as well as the IAS kung bakit umabot sa ganung punto (While it is true that in all cases, no matter the reason, you shouldn’t go amuck, right? That is the question we will have to answer. Part of the investigation being conducted by MPD as well as the IAS is why it reached that point),” Eleazar said.

He said Dipasupil may have been having personal, family or work problems but it should not have reached a point when others had to die, including himself.

“We can see there was something wrong mentally and emotionally that ended in that situation,” he added.

USAP will inculcate in all PNP members that they should be God-centered, service-oriented, and family-based public servants.

“One of the core values of the PNP is maka-Dyos (for God) which manifests our strong will to communicate with God and live by his teachings and to actualize His wisdom in the everyday fulfillment of our job as police officers and public servants.” Eleazar said.